Mainstream surprise part 2: Gucci Bloom

Gucci BloomAh, Gucci. I’ve had a love/lukewarm thing going on with their scents for some time. Love, love, loved their big green with an attitude: Gucci Envy. And the warm, woodsy-ish scent from a few years back, the one that came in the wide, clear brown bottle with the gold equestrian charm (the name escapes me). And there’s another one that I really liked. But most of the rest — nah, not so much. So when I saw the pinkish, blocky bottle of Gucci Bloom at Nordstrom, I walked on by.

But one of the SAs there knows me a bit, and she smiled slyly, crooked a finger toward me and said, “Oh, but it’s got jasmine and tuberose. It can’t hurt to try it, can it?”

Oh, all right, I thought, what’s the harm? So I spritzed one small spray. No shrinking violet this, Gucci Bloom does carry some floral clout, but not as sinus-clearing as I imagined. However, as I wore it, something familiar kept rattling around in my brain pan, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

It wasn’t until later that evening, poking about doing some research, that it struck me: Gucci Bloom could easily be the love child between Diptyque Do Son and Madonna’s Truth or Dare. It lacks the faint plasticky note of the ToD (at least to my nose), but is slightly more aggressive than the easygoing Do Son. If Do Son was a bit too tame for you, ToD too sweet or whatever, and Madame Fracas just too over the top, this might be right up your street, especially if you like a little nip of jasmine. And I do.

My only (tiny) quibble is that bottle: pink and square and that’s about it, although the box does sport a floral print. You’d think they could’ve come up with something a bit more creative/charming/stylish, being that they are a formidable Italian design house. But maybe they were going for a demurely bold statement? Anyway, that’s not a big deal, if you really like the fragrance.

Notes per Fragrantica: Sambac jasmine, tuberose, orris root, Chinese honeysuckle or Rangoon creeper, a red flowering vine native to India.

I’ve worn it for a day or two and enjoyed it, and will continue to wear my sample until it’s gone. It’s helping me usher out August with something new, and also scratch my tuberose/jasmine itch, but no purchase for me. Of course, that’s nothing new, as I rarely buy FBs. My only exception being a cute rollerball of my warm-weather love, Aerin Lauder’s Mediterranean Honeysuckle, and that hardly counts, right?

So what about you? What’s your favoite Gucci scent? Or your best tuberose and/or jasmine fragrance?

  • Ann says:

    Howdy, dear! Yes, do give it a go! It’s not going to change your life, but I found it to be a bright, pleasant diversion from some of the too-sweet candy frags, and it scratched my tuberose-jasmine itch.

  • Portia says:

    Heya Ann,
    I LOVE the bottle but thought the frag would be crap so I walked on by too.
    Next time I’ll spray.
    Portia xx

  • Jennifer says:

    I’m not familiar with Gucci but reading some of these comments has me thinking I’m missing out on some good frags! Having said that, I did see the Gucci Bloom front and center in Ultas where the packaging caught my eye, so I gave it a spritz. It was very nice for a floral though I did start getting tired of it after a few hours so it’s a no-buy.
    All in all, not being much of a jasmine fan, I’ll stick with my Fracas as my go to tuberose!

    • Ann says:

      Jennifer, it’s so funny that you said that — the Bloom lasted on me all of about 45 minutes, so no time for me to get tired of it, ha! Lucky you to get on so well with Madame Fracas — I’m envious!!

  • Sarah says:

    Hmmmm. Will try Gucci again. And sniff some Mediterranean Honeysuckle. Such good suggestions Ann. Do Son’s vapidity was disappointing. Truth or Dare I’ve never tried. Carnal Flower is tuberose that doesn’t go barnyard on me unlike Fracas (which I love but doesn’t return my affection). Your blog
    is a happy start to the week! Thanks.

    • Ann says:

      Sarah, so glad you’re enjoying visiting us here on the Posse! Do Son is pretty tame, but some days it’s just what I need, and it’s a good starter tuberose for someone. Yay on the Carnal Flower too!

  • DinaC says:

    I still have some Envy extrait that I love and some Gucci III parfum, which is a great chypre in the classic mold. Gucci II is good — used up a whole bottle of that one. I saw the new Gucci Bloom at a Macy’s and went up to sniff it. Was totally unimpressed by the boring bottle. The juice smelled blah to me when I sniffed the atomizer, but I need to try it on my skin. I actually love jasmine and tuberose. A dear college friend gifted me a huge bottle of Fracas that she didn’t want, and I wore it with abandon all through college having no idea of its powerhouse reputation or sillage. Nowadays, it’s strictly an evening scent I would only wear for special occasions.

    • Ann says:

      Oooh, Dina, lucky you to have that Envy extrait! It sounds divine. And lucky you, too, to be able to wear Madame Fracas. She does not like me, but will tolerate me in the body products, to a certain degree, ha! Do try the Bloom on skin, but it still may not be up your street. But no big loss if it isn’t, right?

  • Stephanie says:

    I’ll have to try out Gucci Bloom. I liked Envy quite a bit. I have a feeling they might be trying to jump on the “millennial pink” bandwagon with that soft blush bottle and those minimal, clean lines.

    • Ann says:

      I think you’re right about the bottle, Stephanie. That makes perfect marketing sense. And happy to see another Envy fan here. Too bad it’s getting harder and harder to find 🙁

  • tiffanie says:

    Hi Ann, I tried Gucci Bloom last week and enjoyed it. A great big floral fragrance for sure. I found it appealing. After a few minutes I smelled fruity candy (jujubes?) or perhaps a bit of bubblegum. Worth a sniff for anyone who loves florals. I recently sampled Masque Milano’s Luci ed Ombre and liked that one too. So many tuberose+jasmine scents out there to try, we’re spoiled for choice.

    • Ann says:

      Tiffanie, so glad you liked it. Love your Jujube/bubble gum observation very interesting. I’ve not seen that Masque Milano, so might have to go looking for a sample. Thanks!!

  • rosarita313 says:

    Rush is my favorite Gucci scent. It’s brash and sweet and sultry and a lot of fun to wear; I even like the funky red plastic box bottle because it’s unique. I like tuberose on others but it smells awful on me.

    • Ann says:

      Hiya, dear! Yep, it’s like the disco hotspot/hopping nightclub of fragrance 🙂 Now I need to go dig up my little bit of it and wear it. Have you tried Do Son? Or Jo Malone’s Tuberose and Angelica? Those are both tuberoses that might work well with your skin.

      • Ann says:

        It’s kind of like I always say about red lipstick: Everyone can wear it — you just have to find the right shade for you. Hopefully the same is true about tuberose. Maybe try the Gucci Bloom and see if the jasmine in it tempers the tuberose a bit so you can wear it. Do let us know what you think.

  • Musette says:

    L’Arte de Gucci (which may be what you were thinking of, with the gold swirl/brown bottle) and Envy. Envy was STUNNING, much in the way of Calyx, with that sharp, slightly-sweet green.

    xoxoxoA

    • Ann says:

      Howdy, darling! Yep, L’Arte de Gucci and Gucci Rush were the ones I really liked that I couldn’ think of. Glad you liked Envy too; Calyx could have been its bubbly, more effervescent little sister, perhaps?

  • monika says:

    Hmmm… I never was interested or intrigued by any of the Gucci perfumes. However, I do love tuberose and both Fracas and Do Son (which unfortunately only stays on my skin and closes a nano second!) Maybe it’s worth a visit to Nordstroms to check this one out…

    • Ann says:

      Hi, Monika! I think it’s worth a little sniff. If you like it, great, and if not, it’s not so long lasting that it’ll irritate you for hours. Glad you like Fracas and Do Son; they are both great scents.

  • Neva says:

    I’m not a fan of tuberose scents and Fracas is definitely too much for me, so I will give Gucci Bloom a try. Strange, in the eighties I liked all the overwhelming scents and didn’t bother wearing them at all occasions. Nowadays I prefer subtler scents.
    I too am no big fan of Gucci perfumes except for Gucci Rush, which is simply amazing and I always have a backup bottle. It is actually one of the few truly flowery perfumes in my mainly green and woody collection.

    • Ann says:

      Neva, that’s it — Gucci Rush!! I knew one of you clever Posse folks would jolt my memory! I hear you, though, I wore the heck out of big scents in the 80s and 90s, but now tend to go a bit more subtle. Do give Bloom a little spray and let us know what you think.